“What is my type?”
“Someone who isn’t so damaged.” Lana held her finger to her mouth as we reached the top of the staircase.
I snapped out of my thoughts, realizing we were at the very top landing. There was a door directly in front of us and nothing on either side.
Energy pulsated through the wood separating us from whatever was inside. And by the look on Lana’s face, it wasn’t good.
She smiled, trying to ease my nerves. “Don’t be afraid. She is here because of you.”
I drew my brows together as Lana opened the door, revealing a woman dressed in black sitting cross-legged on the floor, her hands by her side and her head tilted back. Sparks of electricity swirled around her, building up momentum and releasing it into the air.
A hole the shape of a circle was carved into the roof directly above where she sat.
“Come, my child. I’ve been waiting for you.” Her black eyes fell upon me, boring into my soul. I felt naked, helpless in her presence. It was as if she was speaking to something deep inside of me.
Lana nudged me forward and closed the door behind me, leaving me alone with the freakish woman who looked as if she were over a hundred years old.
“Sit.” She gestured toward the painted circle in front of her.
Doing as asked, I sat cross-legged, trying not to look at her eyes. But it was impossible. They were captivating—haunting.
“My name is Orphelia. I am the conjurer of Section 6A of this realm. I am the Gatekeeper. The one who protects these sacred grounds and those within. I am responsible for the power of the hunters, channeled through our sacred realm. And I am your conduit.”
She paused as she cocked her head, studying me. “Only, you’re not supposed to awaken until your eighteenth birthday.” She straightened her neck and briefly looked up into the sky before returning her black eyes to me.
“That’s ten months away,” I said.
“Unlike the human world, your life didn’t begin when you took your first breath. Your birth was that of conception, and you are one month ahead of schedule.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to figure out where she was going with this.
“Kali, demon hunter, you have partially awoken, bringing a grave threat upon us all. For if the demons get their hands on you before your time, they’ll have a chance to destroy us, bringing death to all mankind. You must study. You must prepare. For the world rests in your hands.”
I swallowed hard, the pressure of her words weighing me down. I was not ready to become some magical being. I was too selfish. I was too careless.
“You are ‘the one.’” She whispered and returned her focus to the roof.
I waited for her to say more, but the seconds ticked by into minutes and it became painfully obvious I was on my own, unprepared for the job of saving the world.
At least Finn could no longer boss me around.
Getting to my feet, I retreated to the hallway, where Lana was waiting for me.
She cocked her head for me to follow her down the stairs, and she remained silent until we were halfway down. “Creepy, huh?”
“Understatement of the century,” I said under my breath. “You could’ve warned me.”
“Yeah. I could’ve.”
I didn’t think anything could’ve prepared me for Orphelia. She was straight out of a horror movie.
Lana bumped her shoulder against mine. “Did she tell you what’s going to happen now that we’ve found you before your time?”
“Only that I need to prepare for the war ahead.” Even that was pretty vague.
She nodded. “Right.” She stopped on the landing and spun around to face me, her hand on the railing, blocking me from going any farther. “The vampires still don’t know for sure who you are, but it’s likely they’re going to come for Mason, thinking he’s the one they’re after since we went to so much trouble to get him back.”
Heaviness settled over my heart. This wasn’t over. “I’ll be ready.”
“They’re going to come after everyone and everything Mason’s ever cared for. And we better be ready. And by we, I mean every one of us except for you.”
“Like hell,” I said. “I’m the one they’re looking for.”
“Exactly, which is why you need to stay hidden. If they so much as catch a scent of your blood… they won’t stop.”
I swallowed hard as my hand instinctively went to my throat. “I was bitten more than once, but I killed those responsible.”
Her steely gaze met mine. “Are you sure about that?”
I wasn’t sure about anything, and by the sound of it, we were in for a world of trouble. Goose bumps covered my skin as I feared what was to come. Too many people were relying on me, and I was buckling under the pressure. Sure, I wanted to save Mason, but the world… That was far beyond my abilities.
But remembering the taste… The way their demonic essence rolled down my tongue was indescribable. I wanted more. I needed more.
There was a deep burning desire in my soul, craving to unleash my wrath upon those who took what wasn’t theirs, the evil creatures who’d terrorized our world for far too long.
I knew what my responsibility was, and if I was honest with myself and put aside all my selfish traits, I wanted more.
I wanted to make the demons and vampires pay for what they’d done. Make them feel every ounce of pain they’d inflicted on those powerless to stop them.
That was my duty. That was my destiny.
It was who I was. It would be who I would become.
The one.
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Also by Kelly Carrero
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Jane Doe Series
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Unearthly Paradox Series
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Traffick
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Shadow Realms Page 17
